Lake Berryessa is almost a living creature. It breathes in and out, grows and shrinks. But it breathes water not air. Actually it is always breathing out a bit through evaporation and outflows through Monticello Dam all year. All of these processes define its hydrological cycle. (Web Version)

The phenomenon called “turnover” is well-known to anglers, but not so much to other lake visitors. Some people think that Lake Berryessa turns in both spring and fall. But scientific data shows that the lake only turns once per year - in the fall. (Web version)

Most of us have heard of the rule of thumb that Lake Berryessa rises 1foot for every 1 inch of rain. As with most rules of thumb, this is not accurate. Lake level rise depends on many variables like the actual lake level when itnrains and how saturated is the ground. (Web Version)

In the Spring of 2007 the Solano County Water Agency (SCWA) performed a survey of the underwaterlandscape of Lake Berryessa. They wanted to accurately determine the capacity of the lake using the latest technology. (Web version)

This thought was probably running through the minds of everyone close to the dam following the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated Napa on Aug. 24, 2014. The simple answer is yes, because anything is possible. But is it probable? Not very.

The Twisted Ten-Year Political Path From a Modest Nature Area Partnership to a Local Blue Ridge Berryessa National Conservation Area to a Large Disjointed Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area to an Incoherent Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.

Is it the “Dumbest National Monument in the United States”? An objective review of the process by which it was created and the final formal designation suggests the answer is YES. I personally support the creation of legitimate national monuments, but this is not that. Being part of the ten year political process that led to its creation convinced me that in many situations the Antiquities Act is being abused. The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument is a perfect case study of this abuse. Read the full report here.